Tourist's tale of woe during visit to Toowoomba

YOUR STORY: Having just arrived to your beautiful town to enjoy the festival and revisit our old home, my daughter and I were off on our first trip into town to enjoy dinner.

Using a hire car and a SAT Nav to get around on unfamiliar roads, I rolled through a STOP sign (with no coming traffic).

I was quickly pulled over by a waiting police car (at the bottom of a hill too) and issued an infringement notice for failing to stop.

I was breathalysed and not given any considerations.

The fine is $365.

For a part-time worker who has scrimped and saved to get her with my daughter who was born here almost 19 years ago, I was devastated.

I burst into tears.

The fallout of this event has uncovered how unfair the system is.

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The notice informs me I can either pay in full or installments. If I choose to pay in installments it must be in person or my cheque or money order (which will cost me even more).

After calls to Policelink, SPER (money recovery dept), the local station and the website contact number I have found out that as a Victorian licence holder I can't even pay online.

I now have to wait for a total of 21 days (further action is taken after 28 days of issue) to "maybe" have my fine turn up on the system and be able to pay it by phone.

Apparently it takes them at least three weeks to file it with Queensland Police.

Installments are made purposely hard and online payments are made impossible by not considering interstate drivers. Toowoomba police - if you are going to have a hard-line approach to tourists and visitors then back it up with efficiency.

Don't hand out exorbitant fines and then leave citizens with such unfair payment options

Life can be hard.

Our delightful trip to Toowoomba and its friendly and welcoming locals was marred and clouded by this event.

Fair play, I broke the law.

But if you aren't going to show any mercy or consideration, then don't make the penalty any harder than it should be.